In recent years, there have been noticeable image quality improvements in silver halide multiple-layered color photographic light-sensitive materials. Specifically, with the recent progress of color photographic light-sensitive materials, major factors of image quality, particularly sharpness and graininess have reached a fair level; color prints and slide photographs of the service print size obtained by users are not said to be significantly unsatisfactory.
However, with respect to color reproducibility, one of the four factors of image quality, there have been improvements in color purity and brilliant and slightly accentuated reproduction is now possible, but much remains unsatisfactory as to hue reproduction, especially for the hues which have been difficult to exactly reproduce by photography. For example, so-called red-reflecting colors, which reflect light rays longer than 600 nm in wavelength, i.e., purple colors such as purple and blue-purple and green colors such as blue-green and yellow-green are sometimes reproduced into colors by far different from the original color, which may disappoint the user.
The major factors associated with color reproduction include the spectral sensitivity distribution and interimage effect (hereinafter abbreviated IIE) of color light-sensitive material. Improvement in color reproduction by IIE is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection (hereinafter referred to as Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication) No. 2537/1975 and other publications. Specifically, it is known that a compound which couples with the oxidation product of color developing agent to form a development inhibitor or precursor thereof (DIR compound) has a color reproduction improving effect on silver halide multiple-layered color photographic light-sensitive materials due to IIE by retarding the development of other coloring layers by the development inhibitor released therefrom.
In the case of color negative films, it is possible to prevent color staining due to secondary absorption by the coupler by using a colored coupler in such amounts that the undesirable absorption (secondary absorption) is compensated. It is also possible to obtain an IIE-like effect by using the colored coupler in amounts higher than the minimum secondary absorption compensating level.
However, when using a colored coupler in excess, the increase in minimum film density makes right judgment of printing color/density correction very difficult and lengthens printing time and thus degrades workability in laboratories.
These techniques have contributed to improvements in color reproduction, especially color purity. Having an inhibiting group or precursor with high mobility, diffusible DIR, which has recently been commonly used, causes hue change, though color purity can be improved, if its orientation is not well controlled.
With respect to spectral sensitivity distribution, Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 6207/1974 discloses a method in which a filter layer etc. are used to shift the spectral sensitivity distributions in the blue-sensitive and red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layers (hereinafter referred to as blue-sensitive layer and red-sensitive layer for short) toward the spectral sensitivity distribution of the green-sensitive layer to mitigate the fluctuation in color reproduction among different light sources for picture taking.
However, this does not serve as a means of improving hue reproduction for the colors difficult to reproduce. Moreover, it causes significant sensitivity reduction and narrows the color reproduction range due to the wide overlap of spectral sensitivity distribution among the color sensitive layers, which hampers satisfactory reproduction of highly chromatic colors, though reproducibility is little affected by color temperature change.
Generally, in controlling spectral sensitivity distribution, short wave shift of red-sensitive layer is important from the viewpoint of approximation of the peak wavelength of light-sensitive material to the human optic sensitivity for exact hue reproduction. Short wave shift of red-sensitive layer is particularly important in the reproduction of so-called red-reflecting colors such as reproduction of blue-purple color in the reproduction of flower colors.
However, such short wave shift of red-sensitive layer results in chromaticity reduction, causing disadvantages in the reproducibility for skin color, which is important in the color reproduction in color photography, i.e., the healthy reddishness unique to skin color is lost and the color reproduced lacks liveliness.
Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication Nos. 20926/1978 and 131937/1984 disclose arts of short wave shift, in which the spectral sensitivity distribution in the red-sensitive layer is shifted toward that in the green-sensitive layer, but neither offers a satisfactory effect. Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 181144/1990 specifies the sensitivity difference between the blue-sensitive layer and the green-sensitive layer and the yellow filter layer density at 480 nm to improve the reproduction of blue-green and other colors.
Also, an art in which spectral sensitivity and IIE are specified is disclosed in Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 160449/1987, in which IIE orientation is specified for each light-sensitive layer.
Japanese Patent O.P.I. Publication No. 160448/1987 discloses an art in which a negative spectral sensitivity corresponding to the human eye spectral sensitivity is obtained by providing a cyan-containing light-sensitive layer and applying IIE on the red-sensitive layer. Specifically, in addition to the essential blue-, green- and red-sensitive layers, an IIE expression layer (cyan containing light-sensitive layer) is required to obtain the desired IIE effect, which increases the amount of silver coated raises production cost, and the obtained effect is unsatisfactory. None of the arts described above offers satisfactory color reproduction; there have been demands for light-sensitive materials offering good color reproduction.